Scattered among the eventers and horses at the MARS Maryland 5 Star horse inspection in October were volunteers dressed smartly in matching red shirts. While all eyes were on the athletes, they worked behind the scenes, ensuring the event ran smoothly. The event was particularly special for volunteer Rebecca Proetto, who kept records and guided the athletes at the end of the jog strip.
Competition at Twin Rivers Ranch did not disappoint today for the Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) West Coast Championships. With a friendly galloping course and lots of options for riders to take, each combination was set up for success. Judges Christian Schact (GER) and Sally Ike (USA) had their work cut out for themselves to pick the winners.
It was a busy week at the MARS Maryland 5 Star, held Oct. 16-20 in Elkton, Maryland, with a five-star and three-star division running alongside the Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse East Coast Championships. The USEA was there to capture all of the action. Here are some of our favorite photos.
Oliver Townend had no rails in hand heading into today’s show jumping at the MARS Maryland 5 Star, and while his veteran partner, the 17-year-old Irish Sport Horse Ballaghmor Class (Courage II x Kilderry Place), had already won three five-stars over his career, he’d also had a rail or two down on the final day, so a win wasn’t guaranteed.
After Saturday's CCI3*-L cross-country at the MARS Maryland 5 Star, Sharon White and Jaguars Duende ascended from 9th place after dressage to take the lead with a score of 29.6. Sara Schulman held steady in second place on Cooley Chromatic, finishing their cross-country round with a score of 30.6. Alexandra Knowles and P.S. I Love You made an impressive jump from 14th place to third, finishing with a score of 31.4.
Ian Stark’s final five-star cross-country course at the MARS Maryland 5 Star proved to be the ultimate test on Saturday as the field of 22 was whittled down to eight throughout the afternoon. Oliver Townend (GBR) and Ballaghmor Class (Courage II x Kilderry Place) sailed around adding just 4.8 time penalties to their score to slide into the lead on a score of 31.3.
Nine years ago, Tamie Smith and Mai Baum traveled from their homebase in California and took the East Coast eventing scene by storm, winning the Dutta Corp. Fair Hill International CCI4*-L.
Thanks to CrossCountry App, you can check out Ian Stark's cross-country courses for the CCI3*-L and CCI5*-L at the MARS Maryland 5 Star!
The main arena at the MARS Maryland 5 Star opened Thursday morning with dressage tests for the CCI3*-L field. Kiersten Miller is currently leading the field after producing a score of 28.4 aboard Mama Mia, a 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare (Indoctro x Lysienne II) owned by Miller and bred by Heather Crespo.
Cosby Green’s been partnered with Highly Suspicious for seven years, and she admits, their partnership didn’t have the strongest start. “I probably had no business buying him when I did at 16; couldn't ride one side of him, scored consistently in the 40s and had lots of 20s [on cross-country], and he was just really difficult,” the 23-year-old said.
Are you following along with the action from home this weekend? Or maybe you're competing at an event and need information fast. Either way, we’ve got you covered! Check out the USEA’s Weekend Quick Links for links to information including the prize list, ride times, live scores, and more for all the events running this weekend.